


Romantic Styles

by jasonsmclean



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, also each chapter is a one-shot unrelated to each other, and jason and annabeth are amy, in which piper and percy are jake, inspired by brooklyn 99, just an fyi, romantic stylez
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-10
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2020-08-14 15:56:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20194858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jasonsmclean/pseuds/jasonsmclean
Summary: It's all fun and games when you like someone and don't tell them until you're faced with certain death. Then things get complicated.





	Romantic Styles

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the season finale of Brooklyn 99.

New York winter is just as Piper had expected it. Cold, cloudy, and lonely. Dramatic, yes, but truthful, also yes.

As soon as the high from the quest to save Hera settled down, Camp Half-Blood began to churn towards the next objective— get the  _ Argo II _ off the ground. Within a few weeks, the ship started looking less like a hunk of metal and more like a flying Greek warship, one with purpose and a clear path.

It’s all ironic and ridiculous. Piper is reading into the universe’s many quirks way too deeply because as she sits on an unstable stool in Bunker Nine, she stares at the warship’s metal frame and her mindset transports her back to English class. It’s all symbolic, how the warship started off with just a few pieces of metal, how it looked nothing like the blueprints laid out, how frustrated Leo would get as he wiped some grease onto his forehead. Despite looking like a lost cause for a bit, now Piper can see the curve of the metal, how this is the massive frame that will soon set sail across the country and then the Atlantic Ocean. If a warship can go from nothing to something, there’s no telling how this can be symbolic of her life too.

But there is no clear and concise set of blueprints for Piper’s life. Just two months ago, she had been under the impression that she was an average kid. Troubled and momless, but _ normal.  _ Mortal. Now here she is, surrounded by magical barriers in Long Island, her mother the Greek goddess of love, and there are no plans on how to piece her life together. For all she knows, she can be dead once summer rolls around.

Death is a scary thought, but a plausible one.

Like the warship, she has to believe something can come out of it. She can go from some scraps of metal to following the blueprints. She can survive this.

Just as Piper continues to analyze the hell out of her life, a hand gently touches her shoulder, which snaps her back to reality. She blinks and looks over even though she already knows who’s touching her.

“You okay?” Jason asks, loud enough for her to hear over the noise of the Hephaestus kids working away at the frame of the  _ Argo II.  _ “You looked worried.”

“I’m not worried.” Piper shakes her head and brushes him off. It isn’t a lie, really; she’s just accepting what could become of her life within the next few months.

Jason raises an eyebrow and the expression is so cute that it’s almost insulting. “Really? So why do you have that crease in between your eyebrows?”

“That doesn’t mean—”

“And,” Jason reaches down and grabs her wrist, “you’re playing with your bracelet again.”

_ Shit.  _ Piper’s never had anyone so attentively paying attention to her little nervous habits, not even Leo, who is by far the best friend she’s ever had. Her own father would never be able to pick up on the minuscule things she does when her mind is moving a million miles an hour.

But unlike the warship, Piper can’t afford to analyze this, whatever it is. Her life may not have blueprints, but whatever is going on with Jason doesn’t even have a clear direction. She has to help finish the  _ Argo II  _ and go off to save the world from some grouchy earth entity. Easy enough. (Massive understatement, but it keeps her calm.) With Jason, however, she doesn’t know where to go, which step to take. He’s a mystery, a boy with a slate wiped clean.

Over the past month, they’ve gotten closer. There hasn’t been the pressure of an extreme time crunch to save Hera looming over their heads and their lives, while hectic, have some routines to it. The routine has certainly brought them closer, or so Piper thinks.

Jason’s memory is coming back to him. It’s a slow and hard process, but Piper can see him blossoming into who he’s supposed to be, or rather the person he was before he was taken from the Roman camp. He’s trying not to be too optimistic, but he’ll slip in facts into conversations that prove his meetings with the Hypnos cabin haven’t been just fruitless attempts to find himself.

Even with Jason’s memory improving and the progress on the warship, Piper doesn’t know where they stand. Sure, they held hands a few times during the quest, but it hasn’t happened since they returned. There was also the New Year’s incident…

Jason clears his throat and Piper realizes she never answered him. She brushes it off with an eye roll. “You’re worrying too much. I’m fine,” she insists.

“You sure?” Jason still isn’t convinced.

“We just have a lot of work to do. That’s all I’m worried about.” Again, Piper isn’t lying. She  _ is  _ worried about building an entire Greek flying warship in a matter of months, though she trusts Leo and his siblings to get the job done. She’s just choosing to omit some other things on her mind.

“Alright, if you say so,” Jason concedes. He pulls his hand away, choosing to cross his arms over his chest as they watch Leo and his sister Nyssa work away at the metal.

A tiny, desperate part of Piper wants Jason to put his hand on her shoulder again. A bigger, more realistic part of Piper knows he won’t.

“Hey.” Annabeth seemingly materializes behind where Piper is sitting. Her blonde hair is mostly hidden beneath a beanie, her curls pressed against her cold cheeks. (Even with the protective barriers around camp, it’s still freezing and snowing lightly.) “Chiron needs to talk to us in the Big House. Grab Leo, too. It’s urgent.”

Back in December, Piper hadn’t been Annabeth’s biggest fan when they first met. Now they’re becoming fast friends, so this somber look in the blonde’s eyes are a little worrying. Piper nods stiffly and stands, noticing how Jason’s jaw clenches as he picks up on Annabeth’s demeanor as well.

“Leo!” Jason calls.

Leo’s head pops up, his engine grease smeared against his overalls and skin. “Yeah?”

“We’re being summoned to the Big House.” Jason’s voice is controlled, surprisingly not reflecting how serious Annabeth had been just moments ago. “Come on.”

The walk from Bunker Nine to the Big House seems to take longer than it should. Piper shoves her hands into her jacket pocket, careful not to slip on the melting snow mush that lightly dusts the ground beneath her feet. It’s windy, cloudy, and dark, which frames an ominous scene; Annabeth leading from several yards ahead, the three behind her trudging through the snow. Annabeth Chase is used to the snow and she’s used to demigod life curveballs. Piper is not used to either of those things.

“Do you know what this is about?” Jason asks quietly, quickly falling into step—or rather trudge— beside Piper. “You know Annabeth more than I do.”

“And me,” Leo pitches in as he closes in on Piper’s other side. “Sorry. I was eavesdropping.”

Piper rolls her eyes and glances ahead at Annabeth. “No, I have no clue what’s up. But I’m guessing it has to be something about Percy. Look at how stressed she is.”

“Annabeth’s always kinda high strung,” Leo counters.

But there’s determination in Annabeth’s steps; this is a walk with a purpose. It’s not a sluggish saunter, disappointment pulling her down. It has to be a breakthrough in finding Percy.

If they find Percy, they find Jason’s home, and potentially a past Piper isn’t ready to find out about. It’s selfish to wish for what she thought Jason was with the Mist, but it’s what she feels. It’s what she  _ needs  _ to get before going to Europe on an over-glorified suicide mission that entails sending minors to war.

If she hadn’t been worried before, she’s definitely worried now.

Once they enter the Big House, Annabeth appears to have been waiting for them. She’s already pulled off her beanie, expectantly staring at them as they step inside. “Rec room,” she informs them, her tone almost impatient, as if they’d taken ten minutes rather than ten seconds to follow her. Without waiting for them again, she disappears in the direction of the rec room.

Jason gives Leo a look. “Yeah, this isn’t the usual high strung Annabeth.” He turns to Piper next, eyebrows pulled together. “You really think this has something to do with Percy?”

“I know it. She’s acting a little how she acted when we all first met.” Piper resists the urge to play with her bracelet right now. “Come on. We don’t want to keep her waiting.”

As soon as they enter the rec room, Piper knows her hunches were right—this is a breakthrough into finding Percy— because Thalia Grace is sitting where Jason usually sits for head counselor meetings.

Jason is stunned, instantly freezing in place when he sees his sister. “Thalia?”

Thalia manages a smile. “Hey, baby brother.”

“You didn’t tell me you were coming!” Jason rushes forward to hug Thalia.

“I didn’t know, either. I just got new intel a few hours back and rushed here.” Thalia wordlessly reaches over the ping-pong table to hold Annabeth’s hand. “It could help us find Percy.”

Annabeth exhales and nods stiffly, though Piper can see the instant tears welling in her eyes. “You think so?”

“If what Artemis hinted at is true, I think so,” Thalia says.

“She’s still communicating with you?” Chiron asks incredulously, leaning forward in his wheelchair from the head of the table.

“Only every so often, but yes,” Thalia confirms. “The Hunters have been working even harder to find whispers of a Roman camp. So far we’ve got nothing, but I thought of something a few days back that makes perfect sense.” She slides a small piece of paper over to Annabeth.

Annabeth flips it over to look at it. Now that it’s in her hands, Piper can see it’s a business card.

“Uh.” Annabeth looks confused and flips the business card over to reveal the logo to everyone else. “It’s just the Amazon logo.”

“Exactly.” Thalia nods. “Amazon is run by the Amazons, a team of women who worship the war gods. They’re like the Hunters, only they’re not maidens or immortal.”

Leo whistles quietly. “There’s another group of hot warrior chicks that actually  _ can  _ date and you didn’t tell me?”

Thalia does what she does best and ignores Leo’s snide comment. “You know about the Amazons, right?”

Chiron scratches his chin. “Yes, I’m quite familiar with the Amazons. I sometimes send female demigods their way if they don’t want to be immortal.” He knits his eyebrows together and looks at the Amazon logo again. “What is so special about them, though?”

“Artemis hinted to me that while no one from the Hunters is from this alleged Roman camp, there has to be someone from the Amazons who came from there,” Thalia explains. “It makes perfect sense. We’re scouring the west coast for hints of a Roman camp and the Amazons are based in Seattle. They’re close enough to work together. The Amazons also sell demigod supplies along with mortal items, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a direct link between the Romans and the Amazons.”

Jason looks as if someone hit him with a hammer between his eyes. “When are you going to talk to them?” he asks quickly.

“I haven’t had much contact with them other than receiving a few warriors from them,” Thalia concedes. “I would just send an Iris message, but I don’t know who’s in charge over there. Plus, I don’t want to make a trip to Seattle unless I’m completely sure there are Romans over there.”

“Then what are you going to do?” Annabeth demands.

“The Hunters and Amazons work together to recruit girls. We send them each other’s way if the other isn’t a match for them. There are a few safe houses all over specifically for these girls. One of the safe houses is also the home of a retired Amazonian.” Thalia reaches into her pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. She unfolds it and flattens it on the ping-pong table, revealing itself to be a small map of the United States. She points to Long Island. “We’re here. The safe house is,” she drags her finger north, “right here, just outside of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It isn’t far from here.”

“So we go to the safe house and ask this woman what she knows,” Annabeth sums up. “Perfect. We can leave now.”

Before Annabeth can get to her feet, Thalia holds up a hand. “Not so fast. I trust you guys, but some of my Hunters don’t. I also don’t want to freak out this woman. I can’t take all of you.”

“Me,” Jason says instantly. “I can find out information about my home. I might find out things about my life. I have to go.”

Thalia shakes her head. “I wish you could come, but the last time you and Leo joined us for the ride, it was—”

“Amazing,” Leo chimes in.

“—tense,” Thalia finishes without acknowledging Leo. “Some of my Hunters are uncomfortable being around men. I’m sorry. This isn’t as urgent as saving Hera before a deadline was.”

“It  _ is  _ just as urgent,” Annabeth argues. “Thalia, if we find out where the Roman camp is, we can find Percy… and the other members of our quest, of course.”

“Easy, Annabeth,” Chiron cautions. “As much as I want to find Percy as soon as possible, you already know you cannot go to the Roman camp until the  _ Argo II  _ is finished, and that is still months away.”

Annabeth grits her teeth. “I go with you.”

“No, you don’t. I love you, Annabeth, but you’ll give it away. My Hunters will pick up on your anxiety right away, plus they’re already familiar with you since we’ve spent the past two months looking for Percy.” Thalia squeezes Annabeth’s hand again. “This is too close to home. I don’t want you to hear the camp’s exact location and then have you wait months to go find Percy. You have to sit this one out, too.”

If looks could kill, Thalia would be dead. After a few moments, Annabeth sighs, her body relaxing. “You’re right. When we narrowed our search down to the Bay Area, it took everything in me not to call my dad to get me a flight to San Francisco. I need to stay and focus on the building of the warship until we know this is a legitimate lead.”

“It will be,” Thalia promises. “But I do need to take someone with me.” She looks over to Piper and smiles. “What do you say, Piper? Want another taste of being a Hunter?”

Piper doesn’t want a taste of being a Hunter. Being an immortal maiden sounds cool and all, but she certainly isn’t ready to stop growing while the people she loves continue to age. (She also doesn’t want to give up dating yet, but she didn’t want to sound so vain.)

Even though she knows she doesn’t want to be a Hunter, she’s the right person to go with the Hunters. She has to do it for the good of the quest.

“I’ll go with you,” Piper says. “When do we leave?”

“Dawn,” Thalia replies. “My Hunters need to rest before we move again.” She looks over at Annabeth, smiling softly. “And  _ you  _ need to go work on the warship. I need to tell Piper everything I know, so you guys should go. Don’t lose progress because of me.”

Jason nods. “Yeah, of course.” He stands and the other two follow his lead. “You know where to find us.”

Piper hates how Jason leaves the room without giving her a second look. She also hates how he doesn’t seem fazed that she’s going on a quest without him. But most of all, she hates how he didn’t seem to panic when she agreed to test out being a Hunter again.

_ Shut up,  _ her subconscious snaps.  _ You’re sounding like an obsessed girlfriend. Cut it out. _

The door to the Big House closes and Thalia loses her cool demeanor. “Okay. I couldn’t say it while they were in here or Jason would freak out.”

Piper blinks in the sudden shift in Thalia’s tone. “Why would Jason freak out? What are you talking about?”

“This safe house has been… compromised several times before,” Thalia admits. “We see the most demigod casualties at this safe house, and we don’t even know if this retired Amazonian still lives here. Artemis hasn’t been able to contact her in six months, so for all we know, this might be a huge waste of our time.”

“Then why attempt to go to the safe house at all?” Piper demands. “If this safe house is actually an unsafe house?”

_ Unsafe house? You’re sounding more and more like Leo every day,  _ her subconscious informs her.

“If I don’t find out there are Roman Amazonians, I’m not going to waste any more time by making an unnecessary trip to Seattle,” Thalia says firmly. “My Hunters and I need to keep investigating the Bay Area to find the exact location of the other camp. If I don’t have to go to Seattle, I won’t. That’s why we need to go to this safe house.”

“So if I go with you, I might die.” The words fall from Piper’s mouth without much thought. Once she hears herself say it, the seriousness of this quest fully hits her. “I might die before I fulfill the prophecy. If that happens, there won’t be a point to this whole thing.”

Thalia sighs. “Every day is a risk for a demigod, Piper. Especially a powerful one like you. But my Hunters will do everything to keep you safe, I promise you that. If I didn’t think you’d help with this mission, I wouldn’t bring you along, but you can charmspeak, and since I’m trying to find out sensitive information, you might come in handy. We may both be Greek and be enemies of the Romans, but you can talk it out of them.”

Piper still doesn’t feel good about this operation. Her stomach is filled with butterflies and her hands are clammy. Whatever life blueprints she had are now useless.

“If you get hurt, I’d be hurting Jason, too,” Thalia says softly. “Nobody is going to die.”

_ Hurting Jason.  _ Piper looks over at Chiron, who is gazing intently at her, before meeting Thalia’s eyes again.

“I trust you,” Piper mumbles. “I’m still in.”

Thalia smiles in relief. “The heart of a true Hunter,” she says as she stands. “I’ll get you some supplies before we leave tomorrow. You need to rest.”

“I’m head counselor, I need to be with my cabin,” Piper protests.

“Do not worry about that, Piper,” Chiron chides. “Drew can lead the Aphrodite cabin until you return. Go into your cabin and get plenty of sleep. You are going to need it.”

Though Piper isn’t too thrilled about Drew taking charge again (even if it is temporary), she knows she’ll suffer if she doesn’t start resting now. She isn’t immortal like the rest of the Hunters, so she isn’t half as athletic as they are. Tomorrow will be a challenge and she needs to be well-rested for it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Thalia promises. “Sleep well.”

Piper leaves the rec room feeling less confident than when she entered. She’s still new to this whole demigod thing and now she’s going to tag along with a bunch of immortals to an unsafe house to uncover secrets about their sworn enemies. Sounds easy enough.

When she exits the Big House, she’s surprised to find Jason leaning against the railing on the porch. He perks up once he sees her, grinning widely. “Leo and Annabeth went ahead. I decided to wait for you so we can go back to Bunker Nine together.”

Warmth spreads through Piper’s chest and she has to resist the stupid urge to smile. “Thanks, but I’m actually headed to my cabin. I have to rest before I leave.”

“Oh.” For just a second, Jason looks disappointed, but before Piper can decide if he’s actually disappointed or not, he smiles. “It’s alright. Your cabin’s on the way to Bunker Nine.”

He falls into step beside her easily and she wonders if he knows how badly she wants to press up against him to escape the cold winter air. But this is a thin line she doesn’t dare test; he’s still coming to terms with who he is and while he’s still an amnesiac, she can’t take advantage of him. Her feelings—though they came from the fake Mist memories— are certainly real now. She just can’t act upon them because he still doesn’t know what kind of life he left behind. All he has are scattered images, some names, and an overwhelming sense that wherever this Roman camp is, it’s nothing like Camp Half-Blood.

Still, Thalia warned Piper about how risky this mission could be. This safe house has seen casualties unlike any other designed for the Hunters and there’s no telling if the retired Amazonian is actually there. All of this could be for nothing. If Piper goes on this quest and dies, she’d feel really stupid for not saying anything to Jason sooner.

But here, now… She can’t muster up the courage. Not with campers milling around. Jason leads her to her cabin and instead of biding him goodbye, she hesitates.

“Everything okay?” Jason asks gently.

“Yeah, I just…”  _ Lie. Lie. Lie.  _ “I have a long day tomorrow. I’m not exactly in shape like the Hunters. I’m not sure how I’m going to keep up with them when we run to freaking Connecticut.”

Jason cracks a smile and chuckles. “Well, I’ll be honest with you, I’d struggle to keep up with them too. All the Hunters do is run across the country.” He looks over his shoulder, in the direction of Bunker Nine, and although Piper wants to keep this moment, she knows he’s anxious to get back and continue to work on the  _ Argo II.  _

_ You need to tell Jason how you feel before this suicide mission, idiot! _

“Jason?”

“Yeah?” Jason turns around to face Piper and his eyebrows pull together. “What’s up?”

“I…” What little courage she clings to slips away through her fingers. “I should head in, get some rest.”

Jason nods. “Of course. Sleep well.” He hesitates and she wonders if he has some huge romantic confession planned just like she did.

But Piper’s life blueprints don’t exist because Jason turns around and walks away, leaving her alone in front of Cabin Ten.

* * *

_ _“_A bottle of apple cider?” Piper laughs and rolls her eyes. “How did you get this?” _

_ “The Stolls are smuggling geniuses,” Leo proclaims as he fishes some metal tool from his toolbelt to get the cork out of the bottle. “You think I don’t know how to celebrate in style, Pipes?” _

_ “Can’t argue with that logic,” Jason agrees. “You’re the best, Leo.” _

_ There’s no point in hiding the bottle since the Stolls are drinking from their own, so the trio huddles closer to the fire. Piper takes her first sip of apple cider before handing it off to Jason, trying to ignore how his fingers brush against hers and how badly she wishes she can be in his arms. She hasn’t snuggled up against him since their quest and that was only because she got hypothermia. She wishes she can do so now. (The snuggling, not the hypothermia.) _

_ Plus, tonight would be the perfect night to snuggle. It’s New Year’s Eve. Their quest winded down over a week ago. Piper spent Christmas with her dad in LA before flying back to get back to work on the  _ Argo II  _ and to spend New Year’s with her friends. And so far, sitting around the campfire with a bottle of apple cider beats all the holidays spent alone. _

_ “I was thinking about New Year’s resolutions,” Leo says casually after he takes a sip of the apple cider. “They’re cheesy, but I’m a new man, so I might as well try. New year, new me.” _

_ “Is this the residual shock from finding out your dad is a god?” Piper retorts. Next to her, Jason laughs. _

_ “Probably. I think…” Leo drums his fingers on his knee. “Maybe I should start exercising. Have to be in shape when we fight Dirt Face.” _

_ The atmosphere makes a somber shift when Leo’s resolution turns out to be less of a joke than Piper thought. She struggles to keep her voice light when she says, “Lame. You’ll stop exercising in, like, a month.” _

_ “Hey!” Leo elbows her. “Don’t be an ass and point out the obvious. Let me dream.” _

_ Piper rolls her eyes and looks over at Jason. “What about you? Any big resolutions for the new year?” _

_ “I don’t know,” Jason admits. “Maybe… find out more about my family. Thalia didn’t tell me a whole lot other than the bad stuff.” _

_ So the somber mood isn’t just pertaining to Leo. The smile finally slips off Piper’s face and she nods. “Anything else?” _

_ “Hm.” Jason stares at the fire before stating plainly, “Maybe fly to the top of the Empire State Building. It sounds cool. I don’t think I’ve ever been to New York, plus maybe people will think I’m Spider-Man if I wear a mask.” _

_ “That, my friend, is the best resolution I’ve ever heard,” Leo laughs. “Let me record a video and I’ll upload it to YouTube. You’ll go viral.” _

_ “Or get arrested,” Piper points out. “But hey, internet fame is cool. I would know. I have a million Instagram followers.” _

_ “Set a goal for two million and there’s your resolution,” Leo says thoughtfully. _

_ Piper elbows Leo. “That’s vain. I never make resolutions. They’re dumb.” _

_ “You think so?” Jason asks. “Why?” _

_ The intensity of his blue eyes is startling. Piper finds it hard to hold his gaze, but she manages to. He makes her feel warmer than the fire does. Without breaking eye contact, she answers, “I don’t think you should wait until New Year’s to decide you want to change and become better. I think you should make resolutions every day to better yourself.” _

_ Leo snorts. “You’re one of  _ those  _ people.” _

_ Despite Leo’s snooty reaction, Jason nods. “Yeah, I agree,” he murmurs, and suddenly his gaze doesn’t seem too intense anymore; Piper wants to melt just staring at him. _

_ “Whatever, I get it, you two are too good to make fun little resolutions at the beginning of every year,” Leo says dramatically. “You could’ve just been honest and called me an awful person, Pipes, sheesh.” _

_ “You’re not an awful person, you’re just a baby,” Piper complains. “Suck it up, Valdez. I don’t make resolutions. Not a huge deal.” _

_ Leo looks like he wants to say something, but suddenly Drew stands up and exclaims, “Almost a minute to midnight! Get ready to pucker up, everyone!” Luckily for her, she isn’t looking in Jason’s direction. _

_ “Crap, crap, who’s gonna kiss me?” Leo asks, sitting up straight and looking around rapidly. “Pipes, find me one of your hot siblings to kiss!” _

_ “What? No!” Piper protests. “I’m not making one of my sisters kiss you just because you want a New Year’s kiss, Leo.” _

_ “You are the worst!” Leo stands up and frantically rushes closer to some other campers as people begin to pair up. _

_ For a second, Piper forgets she’s not alone until Jason chuckles beside her. “You’re a good sister, not letting Leo kiss one of your sisters.” _

_ “Yeah, well, I’m protecting him just as much as I’m protecting them,” she explains, trying to tune out the countdown. They’re passing the forty second mark now. “He’ll think they’re dating if they kiss once and I don’t think any of my siblings can handle Leo as a boyfriend.” _

_ Jason laughs again. “True. You’re still a good sibling.” _

_ The chanting countdown reaches thirty seconds. Piper notices some girls eyeing Jason from across the campfire, but they don’t come near. “Why aren’t you out there with Leo?” she asks, ignoring how much she doesn’t want to hear this answer. “Don’t you want a New Year’s kiss?” _

_ “I mean…” Jason’s face darkens in the firelight and he shrugs. “Not from anyone Leo’s interested in currently, no.” _

_ “Is there—” Piper’s mouth goes dry as the chanting reaches twenty seconds— “no one you want to kiss?” _

_ Before Jason can answer, Leo returns, looking disappointed. “No takers. I won’t be getting a New Year’s kiss.” _

_ Piper resists the urge to push Leo away. All she wants is to grab Jason’s shoulders and plant one on him, but she doesn’t even know if he wants to kiss her. It’d be stupid for her to risk their blossoming friendship over something as trivial as a New Year’s kiss. After all, she barely knows him. _

_ “Three, two, one, Happy New Year!” _

_ “Happy New Year, Leo,” Piper says, leaning forward to press a kiss to Leo’s cheek. _

_ “Not what I wanted,” Leo grumbles. “But thank you, Pipes. Happy New Year to you, too.” _

_ Jason looks mildly offended. Piper tilts her head slightly and asks playfully, “What? Oh, sorry, I’m so inconsiderate.” She gathers all her courage and leans forward to kiss Jason’s cheek as well. “Happy New Year, Jason.” _

_ It may be the firelight, which is roaring and glowing yellow, but Piper thinks she sees Jason blush. Neither of them acknowledges it as Jason murmurs, “Yeah, happy New Year.” _

* * *

A gentle nudge on Piper’s shoulder snaps her out of her blissful dream. She blinks heavily, noticing how her cabin is still dark, her siblings all asleep around her. Above her, Thalia Grace’s skin looks like porcelain in the faint moonlight.

“Rise and shine,” Thalia whispers. “I brought you some clothes and a backpack full of Hunter supplies. Figured you’d need it if you’re joining us.”

Piper stifles a yawn and nods. “Yeah, of course. Thanks. I’ll start getting ready.”

Thalia pats the small pile of clothes and backpack before leaving the cabin. Once the door closes, Piper squeezes her eyes shut and tries not to scream into her pillow.

Of course. The one night her dreams are peaceful, it’s the morning of a life-threatening quest that may derail Piper and Jason’s future before it really had a chance to begin. She had the chance to speak up yesterday when he walked her back to her cabin, but like always, she messed up. She’s going to go to Connecticut and die before Jason knows how she feels.

_ Nice job, Piper, you’re an idiot. _

It feels so surreal as she slips into the clothing Thalia gave her. Everything is silver and lightweight, which will make the trek to the safe house so much easier. Once she’s done braiding her hair and packing a few extra things in her backpack, she stares into the mirror.

Although she certainly isn’t ready to be a maiden (or isn’t sure she ever will be), she looks like any other Hunter. All that’s missing is the silver glow.

But Piper doesn’t want the stupid Hunter glow. Piper wants to stop being a baby and finally tell Jason how she feels.

There is no hope for honesty, though. Piper quietly slips out of her cabin just as the first rays of light turn the sky orange and pink. As she approaches the Big House, all she can see is Chiron, Annabeth, and the Hunters. No one else has come out to see them off. 

“There you are.” Annabeth is holding a bagel with cream cheese in her hand. “I wasn’t sure if you ate or not, so I got this before you leave.” Before she extends it out for Piper to take, she bites into the bagel. “Mhm. Here you go.”

Piper rolls her eyes but grins. “Next time I see you with food, I get my own bite,” she warns as she begins to eat the bagel.

“Is that a threat, McLean?” Annabeth’s eyes twinkle at the thought of a challenge.

“Damn straight.” Piper tries to ignore how a gut feeling is warning her there won’t be a next time; for all she knows, she’ll be killed trying to get to the safe house. “I’m really glad to see you. I’m nervous.”

“There’s no reason for you to be nervous,” Annabeth insists, but the way she’s playing with her hair makes Piper think otherwise. “It’s dangerous, yes, but you’re with the Hunters. They know what they’re doing. And you’re Piper McLean. You knew you were a demigod for only a few days and then killed a giant. You also kept Gaea asleep with just your voice. If anyone should be scared, it should be the monsters you encounter on your way to the safe house.”

Even though Piper wouldn’t consider Annabeth her best friend, what the blonde says is comforting. Her chest tightens and she smiles. “I will try my hardest to find out information about the Romans for you. For Percy, too.”

Annabeth reaches forward and takes Piper’s hand. “I know you will.” She pulls Piper into a hug, which is a first for them. “Be safe. I gave Thalia plenty of ambrosia and nectar so you guys will be fine.”

Once Annabeth pulls away, Piper turns around and is surprised to see someone approaching the porch. Her heart skips a beat when she sees it’s Jason.

Thalia gets to Jason first. Piper manages to tear her eyes away from them, feeling awkward for watching such an intimate moment, only to meet eyes with Annabeth, who gives Piper an expectant look.

“What?” Piper asks quietly.

“Are you going to say something to him?” Annabeth questions. When Piper raises her eyebrows, Annabeth sighs. “Listen. I know your history with Jason is complicated, given the Mist and all, but I’ve seen how you guys are now. There’s a bond, and this time it’s real. You’ve spent so much time together this past month and a half, I’m surprised neither of you has made a move yet.”

“For all I know, he has a girlfriend back home,” Piper whispers. “That’s unfair of me. I’m not going to do anything.”

Annabeth narrows her eyes but nods. “Fine. I can’t control you.”

“Hey, Pipes.” Jason’s voice makes Piper jump. “Thank the gods you’re still here. I thought I missed you.”

“Hey, Jason. No, I’m still here.” Piper hardly notices how Annabeth creeps away, choosing not to listen to their conversation. “I didn’t expect you to see us off.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” Jason looks cold but genuinely content to be there. He shoves his hands into his sweatpants pockets and rocks back on his heels. “Not going to lie, I’m a little jealous. I wish I could travel across state lines with my sister to find out information about the Roman camp. I mean… I was there before I was here. I wish I could be there in person to hear all of it.”

Piper shrugs. “We might come back empty-handed.”

“You never know. You might get really lucky and this retired Amazon might know everything about the camp.” Jason offers a smile and his eyes scan her head to toe. “Wow. This is real. This is happening.” He gestures to her silver windbreaker. “You actually look like a Hunter.”

Piper laughs awkwardly and stares down at her feet for a moment. She has two options: tell Jason how she really feels before she risks her life on this quest or say nothing and potentially die before getting a shot. Both sound like less than ideal situations, but she only has a few minutes before she runs with the Hunters.

So much could go wrong if she confesses. There’s a very real possibility that Jason doesn’t feel the same way; he’s a friendly guy and might be just trying to bond with her since they’re going to embark on a dangerous quest with her in a matter of months. Or even if he does like her back, he might not be ready to pursue a relationship with her since he still doesn’t have his memory back yet. Or worse, he might have a girlfriend back at the Roman camp.

Still. If she doesn’t say something now, she might never have the courage to say something, or she might die before she tries again.

“Look, um…” Piper has a hard time looking up from the ground and into Jason’s eyes. “I don’t want to be a jerk. I know you still don’t have your memory back, and we’re becoming such good friends, it’s just…”

“What’s going on?” Jason asks, hints of confusion laced into his voice as he gives her a kind yet concerned grin.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen on this quest,” Piper explains, “and if something bad happens, I’m going to be pissed at myself if I didn’t say this.” She pauses for just a moment, inhales, and accepts the fact she’s gone in headfirst. There’s no going back now. “I kinda wish something could happen between us. Romantically,” she clarifies when he doesn’t seem to understand what she’s saying. “I know it can’t because you might have a girlfriend back at the Roman camp and I might die for nothing on this quest, and that’s just how it is, but—”

One of the wolves howls. The first few Hunters bid goodbye to Chiron before racing off into the trees and vanishing into the forest. Piper’s time is up.

“Look, anyway, we have a safe house to get to, so I have to go,” Piper rushes out. “I… Goodbye, Jason.”

Annabeth looks smug as Piper gives her friend one last look. She can’t bring herself to look back at Jason and see the horror in his eyes, so instead she nods to Chiron before looking to Thalia. They lock eyes before turning around and sprinting after the rest of the Hunters, away from camp. Away from Jason.

It isn’t until the Hunters stop to rest up that Thalia asks, “So… should I just pretend I didn’t hear what you told my brother? I get that you’re not an actual Hunter, but I’ve been pretending, so—”

“Oh, gods, you heard that?” Piper groans and hides her face behind her hands. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for you to hear, I just—”

Thalia laughs and puts a hand on Piper’s shoulder. “No, I’m just kidding. I think it’s sweet. I do want you to become a Hunter because I think you’d be amazing at it, I think if you can’t do that, you’d also be amazing at being my brother’s girlfriend. I can tell by the way he looks at you.”

Still hiding behind her hands, Piper mumbles, “Please don’t get my hopes up.”

Thalia laughs again and squeezes Piper’s shoulder. “I won’t get your hopes up about my baby brother, but I will about this quest. I have a good feeling about this, Piper. We’re going to crush it.”

* * *

They did not, in fact,  _ crush  _ it.

While getting to the safe house was easy enough (they took a ferry across Long Island Sound, which cut their distance in half), not so much could be said about the rest of the quest.

The retired Amazon, a beautiful woman with black hair named Amara, was the daughter of Nemesis, the Greek goddess of revenge. She spent time at Camp Half-Blood before making her way to the Amazons, which discouraged everyone at first, but she had the information they needed: there were Roman Amazons who claimed to come from a place called Camp Jupiter in California.

“It’s just south of Berkeley, I believe,” Amara confirms. “I don’t know the exact location other than that, but it’s heavily defended, even more so than Camp Half-Blood. I’m sure if you go to Seattle, the queen will be able to help you. Her name is Hylla, daughter of Bellona, Roman goddess of war, and her sister lives at Camp Jupiter.”

“Oh, thank you so—” Thalia begins to say, but then the safe house literally explodes.

If Piper tried to remember what happened next, she wouldn’t be able to. All she can remember is the screaming, the smoke, how Amara cursed the monsters thirsting after maiden blood, how pain flooded through her stomach, and when she looked down, she saw the fletcher of an arrow sticking out of her body.

“Piper!” Thalia’s scream is frantic. “Oh, gods, stay with me. Phoebe!” Hands cup Piper’s face and blue eyes, the exact same shade as Jason’s, burn into hers. “Stay conscious, okay? Stay awake. Phoebe is coming, you remember her, right?” When Piper nods, Thalia smiles. “Good. Phoebe is going to make you feel better.”

It’s silly what a person thinks about in a moment of life or death. Piper should be thinking about the quest to defeat Gaea, or how her dad will never understand her death since he doesn’t even know she’s a demigod, but the only thing she can think about is Jason. She left him alone on the Big House porch with a love confession and now here she is, an arrow in her stomach. She’s going die with the uncertainty built in her chest, unsure of rejection or not.

Again, it’s stupid and she hates herself for thinking about not admitting her feelings to Jason sooner, because she has a million more important things to address in her dying moments, yet she can’t bring herself to focus on anything else.

Piper does not remember if Phoebe healed her, because she fell unconscious, and the rest of her time at the unsafe house in Connecticut is nothing but darkness.

When Piper comes to, her surroundings are much brighter than the safe house had been. She blinks, almost startled by how painfully fluorescent the lights are above her head. Everything hurts, including her head, so the lights aren’t helping.

This is the infirmary inside of the Big House. She’s been here before, so she recognizes the posters on the wall. She sighs in relief, just thankful to be back and safe, but then pain flares through her body as she exhales. She winces and reaches up, feeling bulky gauze beneath her t-shirt.

“Easy now,” a voice cautions. “You don’t want to pull your stitches out.”

Piper turns her head and meets blue eyes, the same exact color she remembers when she blacked out at the safe house, except it’s not Thalia beside her now; it’s Jason. Jason, the person she confessed her feelings to before going on a quest, the one she’d been convinced she would never see again after the safe house exploded.

She tries to speak, but her mouth is dry. Jason carefully helps her sit up (it hurts like hell, but she manages) before leading a glass to her lips. She knows it’s nectar as soon as she tastes it— it tastes like apple cider, bringing back a floodgate of memories from New Year’s Eve.

“Feeling better?” Jason asks gently after she drinks the nectar.

“I think so,” she says. “I don’t… The last thing I remember is the safe house exploding and there was an arrow. Is Thalia okay? The Hunters?”

“Everyone survived,” Jason confirms. “It was a huge ambush of monsters. Wild centaurs led the fight and one of them shot you with an arrow. Phoebe had to heal you in the middle of the battle before you were stable enough to transport back here.”

Piper didn’t realize how tired Jason looks until he explains what happened. His camp shirt is wrinkled and his hair is strangely untidy.

“You look like crap,” she informs him.

He manages to crack a smile, though it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, I figured.”

“How long have I been out? I seriously don’t remember anything after passing out.”

“You got back three days ago,” Jason says gently. “I—I thought you were dead. Thalia carried you to the Big House and you were bleeding and,” he inhales a little shakily, “I was terrified. But Phoebe did a great job considering the situation. Will took over once you got here and here you are.”

“Three days?” Piper doesn’t feel like she’s been unconscious for that long. “Please tell me you’ve eaten and showered.”

Jason rolls his eyes. “Yes, I have. I just…” His ears turn red and Piper’s chest tightens. “I didn’t want to miss this.”

“Miss what?”

“I wanted to be here when you woke up.” He grins and reaches over, casually squeezing her hand. It feels like the most natural thing in the world, having Jason hold her hand, except her senses are thrown into overdrive and suddenly her heart is pounding at a million miles an hour. “But I’d understand if you wanted to just rest, I can go.”

“No.” Piper turns her hand so their fingers intertwine. She hopes she looks as calm as she sounds. “I want you to stay.”

Maybe she’s charmspeaking him, or maybe he wants to stay as much as she wants him to because he nods and scoots his chair closer to her bed. She hopes it’s the latter; she wants him to want this.

“I mean, I couldn’t die. Gaea wants to kill me later, so I had to pull through,” Piper teases in a futile attempt to keep the mood light.

“Gods, Pipes, that’s sadistic,” Jason replies, but she can see a twinkle in his eyes. “I was so jealous that you got to go on a quest with my sister that I almost felt guilty when you came back hurt.”

“Why should you feel guilty?” she demands. “It’s not your fault. If I were you, I would’ve been jealous too. I kind of hijacked your sister for information about the Romans.”

Jason nods and his smile softens. “Camp Jupiter.”

“Did Thalia tell you?”

He nods. “She told me everything Amara told her and everything began to make sense. It  _ clicked.  _ The names and the blurry memories finally make sense. I remember a lot more. The temples, the people, my life…” He trails off and tightens his grip on her hand. “I was there for thirteen years. It didn’t mean so much until I started gaining the memories back for myself.”

“They’re your family,” Piper says softly. She hates to think that Jason has a secret life with potential girlfriends, but it’s true. “You spent your whole life there.”

“Yeah.” Jason shakes his head as if he was dizzy. “It’s kind of crazy.”

Silence falls between them and Piper knows she has to say something about her confession. She can’t let it hang in the air above them. Even if she gets rejected, she has to know. Jason might not want to let her down with stitches in her stomach, but she needs to hear it and she needs to hear it now.

“Jason…” Her voice is more gentle than usual and she hates how vulnerable she sounds. “We didn’t get to finish that conversation before I left. And then I got shot with an arrow so that obviously pushed it back.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that.” Jason still hasn’t let go of her hand. She isn’t sure whether to feel relieved or scared.

“And like I said before, I get it, you might have someone waiting for you back at Camp Jupiter. I was so scared something would happen to me on that quest, which it did, and that I’d never get to tell you how I felt. I know it was unfair of me to dump all of that on you, but I had to do it to get some closure for myself.”

“Reyna.”

Piper blinks, definitely not expecting that reply. “What?”

Jason flushes and he shakes his head. “When we came back from our quest to save Hera, I started regaining some names from Camp Jupiter. One of them was Reyna, and I had no clue who she was, but I knew she was really important. For weeks, I was trying to remember who Reyna was… because if she was anything, she’d be important.”

“Oh.” A cold hand closes around Piper’s heart. “I understand, Jason, I—”

He squeezes her hand again. “I’m not done.” He smiles softly and she still isn’t sure what to make of this. “And I felt guilty for not knowing. I knew Reyna was important to me, maybe more important than anyone else, and I felt  _ awful  _ about it. Do you know why I felt awful?” When Piper shrugs, he continues, “Because I was beginning to have feelings for you, Pipes. And no matter what Reyna made me feel back then, I’m pretty sure they were nothing compared to how I felt around you.”

This time when Piper’s chest tightens, it’s in a good way. “So… Reyna is—”

“Not my girlfriend,” Jason sums up. “Thalia mentioned the Amazon queen’s name is Hylla. That’s Reyna’s sister, and when I remembered that, I remembered Reyna. We were close. We were praetors together. Maybe Reyna had feelings for me, I’m still not sure yet, but I know for a fact I didn’t like Reyna. I didn’t like Reyna the way… the way I like you.”

Piper’s almost positive she had too much nectar and is hallucinating because there is no way this is real. This is  _ too  _ perfect, like the ending to some disgustingly sweet romance movie.

“So,” Piper attempts to sit up, ignoring how badly her injury hurts, “when I said I wished something could happen between us, romantically…”

“I wish the same thing,” Jason finishes. “I was just being dumb and thought you didn’t like me. Or even if you did, you were still so hurt over the Mist that you wouldn’t want to make it real.”

“Are you crazy?” Piper smiles and has a ridiculous urge to laugh. “How can I not want to make it real? Your opinion to me is the one that matters most.”

Jason’s expression is one she wishes she could photograph. “And you make me laugh. Even when the world is destined to collapse in storm or fire, you make me happy,” he tells her. “You told me us not being together was just how it was. Well, it’s not, because this is how it is.”

When Jason kisses Piper, it feels like everything makes sense, that the blueprints for life that she’d been desperately searching for suddenly don’t matter; why should she follow along a clean-cut path when beautiful little mishaps make everything so much better? Confessing her feelings were never apart of the plan, but she did it anyway, so screw whatever expectations she’d been hoping for. This surpasses every tiny hope she’d had for as long as she can remember.

They finally pull apart and Jason laughs softly. “Well, this definitely isn’t the romantic vibe I was shooting for our first kiss, but it works,” he murmurs.

Laughing hurts Piper’s wound, but she does it anyway. “I agree,” she says. “Wow. There are some big changes around here.”

“Very big changes.” Jason brushes back a strand of her hair. “I think I like them, though.”

“I think I like them, too.”

“Come on.” Jason stands and holds out a hand to her. “Will’s going to have a heart attack if he sees you out of the infirmary, but the sun is out for the first time in weeks and it’s beautiful outside. We can sit on the porch and relax if you want.”

Relaxing on the porch of the Big House with the boy she just kissed sounds wonderful, and she wants to do it, but there’s one thing she wants a little more. “Actually, I was hoping we could go to Bunker Nine. I can stay seated, of course, but I’d really like to see Leo and Annabeth and everyone.”

Jason’s smile softens and he nods. “Anything for you. Let’s go.”

As they slowly make their way from the infirmary and across camp to Bunker Nine (holding hands, may she add), Piper is so thankful she didn’t follow life’s blueprints; things are always a little better if they happen when the odds are stacked against them.


End file.
